Friends, In this slide show you will find images of Hindu pilgrims who are doing their purification ritual in the Ganges River, the holiest river in Hinduism. One of the most favored spot is Varanasi, a city along the Ganges River in Northern India. What is happening in that place? Here is what our textbook tells us: “you will see people bathing in holy water, drinking it, and praying as they stand in it -- while the city’s sewage flows into it nearby, and the partially cremated corpses of people and animals float past. It is one of the world’s most compelling -– and disturbing -- sights.” However, to Hindu faithful, “the river’s water is immaculate, and no amount of human (or other) waste can pollute it. On the contrary: just touching the water can wash away a believer’s sins.” This week’s discussion question is this: What is your honest impression of this purification ritual? Should such a ritual and tradition considered as primitive or superstitious? If yes, why? If not, why not? As you know, the foundation of a meaningful discussion is the honesty and openness of our hearts and minds. Friends,��In this slide show you will find images of Hindu pilgrims who are doing their purification ritual in the Ganges Rive Running head: PERSONAL RESPONSE 1 “Se Habla Español” by Barrientos xxxxxxx Professor: xxxxxxx Course: English 115 1/16/2015 PERSONAL RESPONSE 2 The writer of the essay “Se Habla Español” is known as Tanya Maria Barrientos. Through analyzing Barrientos essay, her most important point is that she struggled to speak her native language whereby she was taught by use of the book or even a formal education (Roen, 2012). One of the Barrientos important points includes race identity, overt discrimination because she could not write her native or communicate in Spanish and cultural preferences. The reason is that throughout the essay “Se Habla Español” Barrientos focused on cruelty of the society in managing its cultural preferences and people’s perspectives. The other main points are based on how Barrientos had intended to appreciate her background, she was a Spanish girl but grow up in US and also her experience was simultaneously affected by the American culture (Roen, 2009). Another central point is that Barrientos illustrated her efforts and struggles of being a pure Latino but could not know how to speak Spanish. Meaning that, Barrientos ought to defy stereotypes that were seeming been involved in American culture. Barrientos was no longer proud of her heritage, and she thought of disdaining her culture. The writer’s purpose is to explore how individuals in society act against their culture preferences. Barrientos struggled to cope with the American culture, but she fined herself being disappointed by the American’s perspectives and ethnicity. In a clear, concise, Barrientos, focused on Se Ha.

1. Friends,
In this slide show you will find images of Hindu pilgrims who
are doing their
purification ritual in the Ganges River, the holiest river in
Hinduism.
One of the most favored spot is Varanasi, a city along the
Ganges River in Northern India.
What is happening in that place? Here is what our textbook tells
us: “you will see
people bathing in holy water, drinking it, and praying as they
stand in it -- while
the city’s sewage flows into it nearby, and the partially
cremated corpses of
people and animals float past. It is one of the world’s most
compelling -– and
disturbing -- sights.”
However, to Hindu faithful, “the river’s water is immaculate,
and no amount of
human (or other) waste can pollute it. On the contrary: just
touching the water
can wash away a believer’s sins.”
This week’s discussion question is this:
What is your honest impression of this purification ritual?
Should such a ritual and

2. tradition considered as primitive or superstitious? If yes, why?
If not, why not?
As you know, the foundation of a meaningful discussion is the
honesty and
openness of our hearts and minds.

3. Friends,��In this slide show you will find images of Hindu
pilgrims who are doing their purification ritual in the Ganges
Rive
Running head: PERSONAL RESPONSE 1

4. “Se Habla Español” by Barrientos
xxxxxxx
Professor: xxxxxxx
Course: English 115
1/16/2015
PERSONAL RESPONSE 2
The writer of the essay “Se Habla Español” is known as Tanya
Maria Barrientos. Through
analyzing Barrientos essay, her most important point is that she
struggled to speak her native
language whereby she was taught by use of the book or even a
formal education (Roen, 2012).
One of the Barrientos important points includes race identity,

5. overt discrimination because she
could not write her native or communicate in Spanish and
cultural preferences. The reason is that
throughout the essay “Se Habla Español” Barrientos focused on
cruelty of the society in
managing its cultural preferences and people’s perspectives.
The other main points are based on how Barrientos had intended
to appreciate her background,
she was a Spanish girl but grow up in US and also her
experience was simultaneously affected
by the American culture (Roen, 2009). Another central point is
that Barrientos illustrated her
efforts and struggles of being a pure Latino but could not know
how to speak Spanish. Meaning
that, Barrientos ought to defy stereotypes that were seeming
been involved in American culture.
Barrientos was no longer proud of her heritage, and she thought
of disdaining her culture.
The writer’s purpose is to explore how individuals in society
act against their culture
preferences. Barrientos struggled to cope with the American
culture, but she fined herself being
disappointed by the American’s perspectives and ethnicity. In a
clear, concise, Barrientos,

6. focused on Se Habla Español essay so as to portray her
experiences preferably with her Spanish
language speaking. I suggest that, the other purpose of the
writer was to explore much more
about stereotyping and views of ethnic identity (Roen, 2012).
As Barrientos says “she has been
told that her accent is unique, her voice is dull and that she is a
kind of Italian drawl”. Certainly,
the genre focuses on Barrientos personal experiences is one of
the Latino children. It focuses on
the child who ends up being hopeless and restless together with
being ashamed but gains strength
through struggles. Most of audiences targeted by Barrientos in
her essay “Se Habla Español” are
PERSONAL RESPONSE 3
learners, societies and educators. The tone or even attitude that
Barrientos uses in her essay is
entertaining and educating together with being courageous
giving. As she concludes “if it will
help, I will the first to go.”
My emotional response to the essay “Se Habla Espanol” is that,
race or ethnicity plays a major

7. role in person’s perspectives. This is because after reading the
essay, I realized how a person
struggles throughout their life and it goes the same to all
different people (Roen, 2009). I liked
Barrientos expressions’ because she portrayed her own pride for
her native country. I figured out
that some people who are not from America may find it
inspiring in Barrientos essay writing
simply because of the different writing and speaking of other
languages besides English.
Moreover, the essay of Barrientos does not pose biases or
immoral perspectives in any nation or
state but presented relative significance of communication of
different languages.
PERSONAL RESPONSE 4

8. References
Roen, D. H., Glau, G. R., & Maid, B. M. (2012). The Mcgraw-
Hill guide: Writing for college,
writing for life. New York: McGraw-Hill Co.
Roen, D. H., Glau, G. R., & Maid, B. M. (2009). The McGraw-
Hill guide: Writing for college,
writing for life. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Higher
Education.